Marriott International celebrates women who lead and love travel

Marriott International continues to deliver on its long-standing commitment to diversity and inclusion with new initiatives promoting women’s leadership development and travel

Marriott International, the world’s largest hotel company, announced today—International Women’s Day—that it will expand its diversity and inclusion initiatives across Asia Pacific by encouraging more women to assume leadership roles within the company, helping women in the community to achieve their career aspirations and by celebrating the region’s women who love and inspire travel.

Marriott International has a proven track record of recognising talented women and helping them grow into senior leaders. The company’s culture of inclusion focuses on welcoming all and providing a world of opportunity to grow and develop: approximately one in six of the company’s General Managers are female and in 2017 alone, the number of women in General Manager positions grew by 22 percent in Asia Pacific. The company was recently recognised as a Best Employer in Asia Pacific by Aon Hewitt.

Regan Taikitsadaporn, Chief Human Resources Officer for Asia Pacific at Marriott International, said: “Championing women and empowering their leadership isn’t just good business, it’s smart business. Diversity makes us more capable, competitive and strategic. Ever since the days of our co-founder, Alice S. Marriott, women have powered our growth and I am personally committed to ensuring their continued success.”

Talented women empowered through professional development and shared experiences

Marriott International’s talented women associates are guided into senior leadership positions from early in their careers – by both men and women. The company culture encourages associates to form mentorships and create small local gatherings to exchange advice and insights on achieving new career possibilities.

The company also offers formal leadership programs to women associates: Marriott’s Women’s Leadership Development Initiative was founded in 1999 with the aim of increasing the presence of women in management or decision-making positions. The APAC Women In Leadership (WIL) committee supports 26 Ambassadors across 11 APAC countries to design and implement initiatives that engage women in dialogue about their lives and careers. Within China, the East China Women Leaders Aspiration Program offers a one-year mentoring program.

Through a strategic partnership with the Asian University for Women (AUW), Marriott International is also enabling the professional achievements of the next generation of women leaders from developing markets: the company provided 50 volunteer mentors for AUW students and work-study opportunities for AUW students last year, enabling them to experience life at Marriott in Hong Kong and in locations across south Asia. The company was part of AUW’s annual charity gala, which raised over USD 550,000 (approx. AUD$703,000) to support AUW student scholarships.

Women are the dominant decision makers for travel and shaping the future of the industry

Marriott International will dedicate its upcoming APAC Women In Leadership (WIL) conference to recognising the roles that both women and men play in achieving a better balance in the workplace. It will also celebrate the rise of millennial women travellers and their influence over travel decision-making, extending its leadership on diversity and inclusion to its guests and local communities. The fourth annual conference will take place from 13-15 June 2018 at the Shenzhen Marriott Hotel Nanshan and will feature panel discussions with industry leaders as well as exclusive insights into women’s travel trends. Further details will be announced soon.

Alongside the WIL conference, Marriott International will launch a ground-breaking study of how millennial women travel and what drives their decision-making. The results will then be made public and available to the hospitality industry.

Peggy Fang Roe, Chief Sales and Marketing Officer for Marriott International Asia Pacific, said: “Today’s women are bold, confident and adventurous travellers. We’re excited to be at the forefront of designing experiences that inspire them and reflect their needs as travel decision-makers. My personal love for travel comes from how each new destination shapes my perspective on life and from the joy of creating amazing experiences for those around me. My hope for millennial women is that they will always find a new place to explore and challenge themselves—be it a beach or a boardroom!”

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